Armoured garment

ABSTRACT

The armoured garment has an outer shell usually with sleeves and a lining. A front fastening, conveniently a sliding clasp fastening, is provided between the two front edges of the shell. The lining has three openings to pouches extending between itself and the shell. Openings are provided close to the front fastening and parallel to it. 
     Each lining opening gives access to a respective large pocket or pouch. The pouches are of lining material and are stitched to the lining at the fastenings and as detailed below. Inserted in the pouches are respective sheets of armour. A belt, having an elasticated rear, central portion and front portions ending in a buckle, passes out through lining slots and around the pouches and the armour for drawing the latter tight around the body of the user, without constricting the outer shell.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an armoured garment.

2. Description of the Related Art

Armoured garments exist, typically as bullet-proof vests. Often theseare worn as over garments and are not in the least discrete inappearance. As such they are not suitable for covert use.

Provision of “armour”—used herein to include materials which areresistant to knife, bullet and other weapons and are of plastics andother materials—in garments as ordinary linings is little moresatisfactory, being both uncomfortable in restricting freedom ofmovement and readily apparent as present in a garment to onlookers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved armouredgarment.

According to the invention there is provided an armoured garmentcomprising:

an outer textile shell;

a lining incorporating armour; and

a belt for drawing in the armour within the outer textile shell.

Whilst the armour could be provided as a single piece, convenientlyarranged to overlap at front edges on tightening of the belt; it willnormally be provided as several pieces, typically a back piece and twofront pieces mutually overlapping when the belt is tightened.

Preferably the lining is provided with pockets or pouches for receivingthe armour. These can be formed with one side being comprised of liningmaterial and the other side being stitched to the lining around theextent of the pouch. Alternatively, as is preferred, the pouches arecomplete enclosures and connected to the lining only at a discretenumber of places, in particular openings in the lining for insertion ofthe armour. The openings can be closable with sliding clasp fasteners.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereofwill now be described by way of example and with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an armoured garment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an oblique view of the garment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the garment, showing its shell, lining andarmour within pouches arranged in use between the lining and the shell;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the armour pouches and their tightening belt,with the lining and outer shell omitted, but lines of connection thereofshown in bold;

FIG. 5 is a rear view similar to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view from the rear of the armour pouches;

FIG. 7 is a similar front exploded of the armour pouches; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view of the garment, the section beingtaken just above the belt and showing shell, lining, and armour in itspouches.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, the armoured garment 1 has an outer shell 2usually with sleeves and a lining 3. A front fastening 4, conveniently asliding clasp fastening, is provided between the two front edges 5,6 ofthe shell. The lining has three openings 7,8,9 to pouches extendingbetween itself and the shell. Openings 7,8 are provided close to thefront fastening and parallel to it. The third opening 9 is providedacross the back of the garment close to the bottom edge of the lining.The openings are provided with sliding clasp fastenings 10,11,12.

Each lining opening gives access to a respective large pocket or pouch14,15,16. The pouches are of lining material and are stitched to thelining at the fastenings and as detailed below. Inserted in the pouchesare respective sheets of armour 17,18,19. A belt 20, having anelasticated rear, central portion 21 and front portions 22,23 ending ina buckle 24, passes out through lining slots 25,26 and around thepouches and the armour for drawing the latter tight around the body ofthe user, without constricting the outer shell.

The pouches are semi-independent of each other in that they are joinedat the shoulder, that is the back pouch 16 has two extensions 27 up toshoulder level and the front pouches 14,15 have respective shoulderextensions 28,29; these latter are stitched to the extensions 27. Thewidth of the pouches in the direction of the belt is such that theyoverlap at the front and sides when the belt is tightened with armour inthe pouches. To avoid the rear edges of the front armour sheets foulingon the front edges of the rear armour sheet or indeed the rear pouchfastening 12, the front pouches 14,15 are constrained to remain outsidethe rear pouch 16 by extensions 14′,15′ of the front pouches, stitchedto the rear pouch at 16′. The front armour sheets 17,18 are not able topass into the extensions, with the rear edges of the pouches beingdelimited by lines of stitching 14″, 15″. The lining is drawn into folds3′ on tightening of the belt as are the extensions 14′,15′.

The sheets of armour, typically of aromatic polyamide or aramid materialA with ballistic foam inner layers F, are sized to fill the pouches orat least to extend from their fastened openings to the furthest extentof the pouches. Thus the sheets keep the pouches extended andoverlapping as the belt it drawn tight.

The pouches are stitched to the lining:

around their fastened openings 7,8,9;

across the top of the rear pouch at 31;

across the top of the front pouches at 32;

down the front edges at 33; and

over the top of the arm hole at 34.

Further the lining material is extended around overlap portions 35 ofthe front of the pouches to lining attachment strips 36 extendingparallel to the front fastening 4. The shell has front inner margins 37extending in from the fastening 4 to lining attachment strips 36, whichprovide front attachments between the shell and the lining. These strips36 have the lining slots 25,26 to allow the buckle parts to be drawn outand connected. Once the front fastening is closed over the buckle thepresence of the armour remains covert.

The shell is also attached to the lining and pouches:

across the top of the rear pouch at 31;

across the top of the front pouches at 32 as far as the top of theattachment strips 36;

over the top of the arm hole at 34; and

at conventional places such as the lower edge of the shell and thecuffs.

The shell will be provided with normal features of an outer garment suchas pockets. In so far as these are conventional they are not shown.

When the garment is put on, with the armour in the pouches, and thefront fastening is made, the armour will tend to expand the entiregarment, causing the presence of the armour to be very evident. Drawingof the belt tight around the armour in the pouches draws it in andrendering its presence far from immediately apparent. Also in causingthe edges of the armour to overlap, drawing it in removes areas ofvulnerability.

The invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of theabove described embodiment. For instance it is applicable to asleeveless garment. Alternatively, the sleeve can have a slash resistantlining.

1. An armoured garment comprising: an outer textile shell; a liningincorporating armour; and a belt for drawing in the armour within theouter textile shell.
 2. An armoured garment according to claim 1,wherein the armour is provided as a single piece.
 3. An armoured garmentaccording to claim 2, wherein the single piece of armour is providedarranged to overlap at front edges on tightening of the belt.
 4. Anarmoured garment according to claim 1, wherein in the armour is providedas a plurality of pieces.
 5. An armoured garment according to claim 2,wherein the plurality of pieces of armour are provided as a back pieceand two front pieces mutually overlapping when the belt is tightened. 6.An armoured garment according to claim 1, wherein the lining is providedwith one or more pockets or pouches for receiving the armour.
 7. Anarmoured garment according to claim 6, wherein the or each pocket orpouch is formed with one side being comprised of lining material and theother side being stitched to the lining around the extent of the pocketor pouch.
 8. An armoured garment according to claim 6, wherein the oreach pocket or pouch is a complete enclosure and connected to the liningonly at a discrete number of places, including opening(s) in the liningfor insertion of the armour.
 9. An armoured garment according to claim6, wherein the or openings are closable with sliding clasp fastener(s).